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Education
We believe educating ourselves and our community is a key part in cultivating empowerment and passion around all parts of our food system to co-create a sustainable food system future for all.
Reno Food Systems aims to support farmers, home gardeners, and those striving for food sovereignty through in-person on the farm workshops, classes, online courses, and of course, collaborations with other local food systems' organizations & businesses.
Our seasonal hands-on workshops cover a range of topics from fruit tree grafting and pruning to beekeeping to learning more
about medicinal herbs.
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Through our City of Reno partnership, RFS is hosting monthly senior community gardening, nutrition and cooking education workshops starting in April and ending in November.
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Please check out the events calendar on GrowingNV to see what educational opportunities we’ll be hosting at various times throughout the season.
What's better than learning something new?
Learning something new in community!
Our courses are an exclusive free perk to members. The course's content is hosted online on our community’s local food platform called GrowingNV, but we have seasonal gatherings at the farm to do seed exchanges and connect in person about the joys & challenges of Great Basin gardening.
If you are wanting to come on a field trip, we love providing enriching kids activities: we love talking the farm almost as much as we love farming.
We relish in having opportunities to teach and mentor young people to grow and eat healthy food (and we also end up learning something new from the next generation too).
We usually start out with a farm tour and can work with you on specific educational offerings that meet your needs.​
Please fill out this form inquiry form here, and we'll follow up with you shortly.
We are honored to be on the leadership committee of this grower-led initiative to support Nevada's specialty crop farmers through increased connection to peers and resources. The network is a centralized online platform composed of a comprehensive agricultural resource library as well as an online forum for connection and informational exchange amongst the Nevada farming community (like a Facebook group for farmers!).
The network serves to strengthen community ties and provide opportunities for learning as well as will host occasional forums both online and in person.
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For more information check out nevadafarmnetwork.com or read the Edible article here.
Over our seven years, we have cultivated many partnerships with a diverse group of people. We have showcased our most recent ones below.
Desert Farming Initiative (DFI) Apprenticeship
The Nevada Farm Apprenticeship Program is committed to supporting aspiring farmers, recognizing that their success is essential for the long-term viability of Nevada's agricultural industry. By investing in aspiring farmers, the Nevada Farm Apprenticeship Program nurtures the growth of local agriculture, fostering a resilient and thriving food system for the state. The Program hosts participants in paid positions that prepare them to become farm owner/operators in Nevada.
Reno Food Systems’ was chosen as a site where the apprentices will get to join our team one day a week. We are excited to partner with DFI and to provide a fun and jam packed (pun intended) educational experience for these aspiring farmers.
Outreach
Please get in touch today if you are interested in having Reno Food Systems provide a presentation to your group, school or company.
If there is a budget, we always appreciate any financial support for our efforts; but if there isn’t, we try to never turn away an opportunity to inspire our community in the ways of building local food systems.
Please fill out our brief interest form, and we’ll follow up directly with you.
Policy & Advocacy
As food systems builders and food equity leaders, it's our responsibility to advocate for policies on a local, state and national level.
We believe deep down in our bones that we must strongly voice that the status quo is not acceptable. We actively work towards building new frameworks to change the industrial ag system that has created atrocious land management practices, not to mention food insecurity and ill health with its focus on profit over people and planet.
From giving testimony to pass Senate Bill 297, which will help make land available for urban agriculture, supporting Senate Bill 244 that creates an appropriation for school gardens, or meeting with our state senators to educate and advocate for a climate smart and socially equitable 2023 Farm Bill, we believe in working with our legislators to instigate positive change and help government understand the importance of resilient local food systems.
We are also members of the State Council on Food Security working to revise and implement a State Food Security Strategic Plan, The Urban Agriculture Working Group, are on the board of our local Conservation District as well as are an asset to our newly reformed Local Food Council.
We prioritize collaborating side by side with community partners and are working to ensure that we understand the problems and are proactive in co-creating solutions.
Donate today to support our Education Programming
Donations are vital to ensure Reno Food Systems is able to continue our important work. Please click here for information on how you can support us!
Reno Food Systems is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. EIN:81-1021982.
All donations are tax deductible.